Conventionally, an SoC (system on chip) on which predetermined required functions are integrated on one semiconductor chip is mounted on various kinds of electronic equipment, or the like. For example, an SoC which implements image sharpening processing has been developed, and a semiconductor device module including this SoC may be mounted on a shooting device such as a camera.
By the way, in the semiconductor device such as an SoC, there is a case where license information is required to implement a plurality of functions mounted thereon. A licenser provides validity/invalidity of a function of a chip and a parameter such as a threshold to a user as license information, and the user, or the like, sets the license information to equipment. By this means, it is possible to limit a function which can be implemented at the equipment according to the license. For example, it is also possible to control only part of functions among all the functions which can be implemented at the semiconductor device according to license information. The semiconductor device reads out license information stored in, for example, a memory upon startup and implements various kinds of functions within a range allowed by the license information.
As a form of license, for example, there is a method in which image sharpening process is divided into a low level, a medium level and a high level according to a degree of sharpening, and a level which can be implemented at the semiconductor device is designated by the license information. For example, when the low level is designated by the license information, the semiconductor device can only execute a function of the low level of the image sharpening process. By incorporating such a semiconductor device module into a camera, the camera can implement image sharpening processing within a range according to the license.
In view of updating, or the like, of functions which can be implemented, the license information can be stored in a writable non-volatile memory, or the like, on the semiconductor device module. However, there is a problem that when the license information to be used at electronic equipment, or the like, of a user having authority (hereinafter, referred to as license target equipment) is copied and set to other electronic equipment, a function of a higher level may be implemented at the electronic equipment, or the like, of a user who does not originally have authority (hereinafter, non-license target equipment).